THE JUNGLE BOOK
by Kay Kylo
Summary: General Kaede and her three daughters have arrived at a recently rediscovered outpost, an Heir to Chief of a Clan is at odds with his adopted brother, and the Shikon no Tama and its Bearer are once again the center of lust and greed. Oh boy.
1. Beginning Notes You Must Read

I know, I know, I should finish the other story I have up. So sue me.  
  
Disclaimer for whole darn story: DO NOT OWN THEM!! BACK OFF!!  
Okay, to all interested people, I have this beginning note to just let you know what to expect. I took many liberties (I am an author. I can do that) and played a lot. Hey, if it entertains, do it!  
My Rendition of THE JUNGLE BOOK, Inuyasha style!  
  
PG, Romance/Drama Inu/Kag, Sess/Rin, Mir/San, and possibly Nar/Kik  
  
Notes on Characters:  
  
All human, though some are "wild men" and some are just people.  
  
Naraku is not "the bad guy", but he is bad. The general does not trust him. Shippou is a fully grown person, well-respected and well-trained. Jaken is not a wimp; he's bigger and a better fighter. Kouga is older than Inuyasha. Inuyasha has no relation to Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru is closer to Inuyasha's age. The Shikon no Tama is an item that contains incredible power, and is the subject of much lust and greed. The Bearer (of the Shikon no Tama) has no name, no face. It simply carries the Shikon no Tama.  
  
Sorry Myouga fans, he's no where to be found (just like if there was a fight). Otherwise, almost all fairly main characters are in this. Sorry Inu/Kik or Kag/Sess fans, no such thing here.  
  
That's about it for now, but I'm typing up the prologue as you read this, unless you see a little arrow to your right and down. Then I'm typing some other part of the story. If not, I'm finished or doing something essential to living, like school.  
  
To all my adoring fans: LOVE YA ALL!!! 


	2. The Beginning: Prologue

Yeah! First part of my jungle book story! Just a prologue, but it's a start. So, review, tell me what you think, etcetera.  
  
I have no clue how long this story will be, and I have no idea for an end. So, ideas anyone? I will type to chapter five (remember this is the prologue), which I have outlined to. After that, I have no clue for any ideas.  
  
So, on with the story.  
  
THE JUNGLE BOOK: Prologue  
Grass parted before his blade as he swung another miss. Growling, he spun to face his opponent to find his brother facing the opponent.  
  
"Come now, Exile," his brother cried almost mockingly. The exile snarled, his sharp teeth flashing. His white hair swung freely to his waist as his golden eyes glared at his enemies with hatred. "Sesshoumaru, my father exiled you! Why do you insist on returning?"  
  
The exile snarled one statement at the brother before attacking again. "Because I will not see what is rightfully mine in the hands of the Heir, Kouga!"  
  
Kouga looked back at him. He still stood where his missed swing had thrown him. "Stay out of this one Inuyasha!"  
  
Inuyasha glared at his brother, Kouga, Heir to the Chiefdom of the Wolf Clan. Slowly, he kneaded the grip of his sword as he unwillingly nodded. He would love to fight, but his older brother's command was law. Inuyasha shook his head and mentally corrected himself. No, he was the adopted brother of Kouga, as Kouga kept on reminding.  
  
Inuyasha glared at his black-haired, blue-eyed older brother as he fought the exile. Sesshoumaru was his name. He was not much older than Inuyasha and that thought made him a little sympathetic.  
  
Sesshoumaru suddenly shouted and abandoned the fight. As soon as Sesshoumaru was gone, Inuyasha could sense it. It was here and had managed to sneak upon them.  
  
"Inuyasha, duck!" Kouga shouted, and Inuyasha willingly obeyed his order. A bolt of black power flashed over his head, scorching his back as the horrible heat flowed over him.  
  
Kouga was suddenly at his side, awe filling his face as Inuyasha, struggling to a more defensible position.  
  
The form that approached them looked like it could have been a child, but the entire body was blackened. The face had been blotted out so much the only recognizable feature was the nose. A small purple orb hovered in front of the form's chest, less than a centimeter from the body.  
  
Kouga's face held as much awe as his face. "The Shikon no Tama!" he exclaimed. The black form held out a hand and the purple orb started to glow. Slowly, more black stuff appeared, rubber-like and reflecting light, and began to take form in the hand.  
  
"The Bearer!" Inuyasha hissed. He had an idea of what was forming in that hand. Slowly, his grip on his sword tightened. "Well, Kouga. This is it. Let's fight this one together, Brother."  
  
Kouga turned cold eyes to him. "Don't call me Brother. We are not brothers." Normally, Inuyasha would have retaliated with the fact of adoption. Now, he decided it was not worth it. He was facing his possible death.  
  
The form clenched the newly formed weapon and swung it experimentally. It paused, as if searching for the young men's weaknesses.  
  
In a heartbeat, the Bearer of the Shikon no Tama attacked, the power of the Shikon making the child-like form a formidable warrior. The two brothers had their hands full as they blocked and parried with all their skill, but somehow, it was not enough.  
  
With a cry, Kouga fell. Inuyasha stopped fighting and ran to check his adopted brother. Kouga slowly sat up, his arms wrapped around a deep wound in his chest. Inuyasha waited just long enough to see his brother was not dead. Turning, his eyes raging, he glared at the Bearer. It stood still, waiting for him to attack. Black fire covered its body. As it noticed him glaring, it smirked, revealing pure white human-like teeth.  
  
Inuyasha was more than angry. He was enraged that this thing could play with them like toys and not show any emotion, not even some tiredness from the fight.  
  
He did not know what happened. The fight with the Bearer had a surreal feel in his memories. He had become enraged so much that he had fought entirely on a rage made drunk on adrenaline. The only finite fact he knew was that he drove the Bearer away and managed to get Kouga back to the clan caves.  
  
The chief was horrified to see his son wounded so horribly, but he patiently listened to Inuyasha's story. As Inuyasha spoke, healers revived Kouga, and he was able to hear the end of the tale.  
  
At the end of the story, Kouga chuckled loudly, drawing attention to him. "Brother, why do you twist a story like that? Especially on a subject so important as this!"  
  
Inuyasha could only gape as his brother declared him a liar before the clan. Suddenly, the chief turned to his son. "Tell me, Kouga, what really happened?" Inuyasha was too disgusted to listen to his brother's lies, so he left the main cave.  
  
"Master Inuyasha," a male human said respectfully, bowing to complete the formal greeting as Inuyasha entered his own cave. "You are back. Do you need anything?"  
  
"I need someone to believe me," Inuyasha snapped at him. The slave smiled.  
  
"I will believe you," he said quietly. A female human slave entered the cave and presented Inuyasha with a tray of food. "Sango, my dear, stay. The master says he needs someone to believe him," the slave called to the woman lovingly.  
  
The girl stayed and smiled quietly. "I will, if I can know what it is I am believing."  
  
Inuyasha returned the soft smile. He did not usually talk to slaves; but then again, he was not usually proclaimed a liar. "You are the two kidnapped foreigners, correct?"  
  
The male nodded sadly, his dark eyes suddenly darker at that thought. The two people were suddenly not so happy. They were broken, beaten, destroyed. "I am Miroku, and this is Sango, Master."  
  
Inuyasha felt a sudden kinship with the two broken people before him. "Please, call me just Inuyasha," he said. The broken look in their eyes lessened some. And in so saying that, he proceeded to tell them his story, and to his relief, they believed him.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
I promise, this is slow now, but soon it should get more interesting. Sorry about how slow and bad this prologue is. It's going to get better. I promise, I promise! So stick on for the ride.  
  
So, check out this story, tell me whatcha think. There's a little button down there that will make me so so so so so so happy if you click it and write on it. That will also bring out the rest of the story. The more you send in, the faster these parts will come out!  
  
Hey, at least I do not demand a certain number of reviews!!  
  
To any adoring fans, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!! 


	3. Chapter 1

I'M ALIVE! Actually, that's questionable.  
  
O_O  
  
Okay, I got guilty, so I'm going to do all of the disclaimers.  
  
DON'T OWN THEM!!!!!!!!!!! (Uncle moves away, holding papers in hand)  
  
Yes, my uncle's a lawyer. I don't mind much.  
  
I have a total of. (checks really quick) three reviews in all of my stories! TO ALL LAZY READERS, PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!! It will make me happier.  
  
Okay, so the real plot gets started here. In here it is obvious why I chose Kouga to be the "bad guy", not Naraku. He's too commonly used. Kouga's the evil guy now. LUCKY HIM!!!!!!!!  
  
Besides, since Kagome's the main character, I have to make a realistic choice of a bad guy for the plot line. So, it's Kouga.  
  
What, I didn't mention it in my first part? Oops. So I forgot. Sorry.  
  
Let the story begin!  
  
______________________________________________________________ "Present arms!" There was the sound of flesh clapping metal as two hundred and twenty-seven men followed the barked orders. "Salute!"  
  
A tall man with dark hair stepped forward as his superiors gave out commands. With military precision, he saluted to the eleven people in a small boat that was docking at that moment, his eyes only resting on one person. That person was the first person out of the boat.  
  
She was majestic woman of about sixty, built solidly and was obviously strong. Her long, graying hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She stood straight and rigid and saluted back to the man. "Captain Hojo. It is nice to see you again," the grizzled woman said gruffly. The man's eyes rested for a moment on a patch on one of her eyes before he stood at ease.  
  
"General Kaede. It is good to see that you arrived safely," Hojo answered, his words clipped to military precision. His eyes glanced over the woman's shoulder to watch the seven nautical men jump out of the boat and start to help the remaining passengers out of the boat. The passengers were.His eyes widened in surprise and General Kaede cracked her face into an amused grin.  
  
"Captain Hojo, these are my daughters, Kikyo, Kagome, and Konarin. Konarin only answers to Rin, though," the wizened woman said. "I would ask that you choose your best men to guard my daughters." Hojo recovered from his surprise and tore his gaze from the middle daughter. He nodded before turning on his heel and marching into the ranks. He walked back and forth for a while, silently contemplating his decisions. His superiors did nothing but watch. They knew he had more advantages than them. He was a favorite of the general. Finally, Hojo took a man's rifle, set it on the ground, and motioned for him to go to the front. The man walked up with a short nod at his superior and stopped in front of the general and stood at attention. Hojo watched as the general made a nod, indicating her approval. He knew that she had been watching him since he had been lower in rank, and was well deserved for a promotion. Unfortunately, the poor young child was too young to move up.  
  
Buoyed by his success, he found two more men and sent them to the front on at a time. Finally, he walked to the front after choosing the last man and waited for the general to look the men over.  
  
"General, Private Naraku. One of the best we have. Perhaps, your youngest- "  
  
"No," the general interrupted, eyeing the dark man. "I have heard of Naraku. I would prefer that, if you insist on him being the best for guard duty, that he guard my oldest, Kikyo."  
  
Captain Hojo bowed to show he agreed with her and nodded at the private. The dark man saluted perfectly and glided over next to the oldest daughter.  
  
"And for your middle child, Kagome, wasn't it? I suggest young Shippou. He is our top Corporal, and many majors respect him," Hojo said, smiling at the middle girl as she looked around the camp in mild curiosity. General Kaede smirked at the young corporal. He was definitely the top. He could be the top major, if the age restrictions had not been incorporated. Kaede nodded in approval at the brown-haired young man and the man moved next to his new charge.  
  
"And then, for your youngest, we have Private Jaken."  
  
"Quite scrawny, isn't he?" Kaede asked, looking the smaller warrior over. The man nearly looked indignant, but his training won over his emotions.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am, he is, but he is quite fast and a good warrior without a pistol. He would be best for any guard duty," Hojo insisted. Kaede nodded her approval and Jaken grudgingly moved next to the other guards. "Now, General Kaede, I surmise that you would like to inspect the troops. Come with me."  
  
As soon as the general and captain were out of earshot, with the daughters following slightly, Jaken groaned audibly. The guards stayed where they were.  
  
"I signed onto this to be a warrior, not a babysitter!" Jaken complained.  
  
"Be quiet, Private," Shippou commanded gently and firmly. "It is an honor to be chosen to guard the general's daughters."  
  
"I do not mind," Naraku added, his eyes focused on the slim figures ahead of him. Shippou turned on his inferior and looked ready to order him whipped.  
  
"Take those thoughts out of your mind, Soldier!" Shippou hissed dangerously. "These are the general's daughters, after all! Be mature for once, will you?"  
  
Shippou had no other chance to berate his underlings for General Kaede and Captain Hojo returned.  
  
"Come, my daughters. We will find you rooms before dinner is served. You may clean up and then your guards will lead you to the officer's mess."  
  
The three women nodded as Kaede started toward the military outpost main building. Captain Hojo walked in step with the general before he slowly slipped away and found himself walking next to the middle daughter. Training kept his eyes ahead of him, but he so desperately wanted to look at the middle daughter again!  
  
Kagome, the middle daughter, was observing her surroundings with mild apprehension. The area that the outpost was situated on was well groomed, but outside the perimeter was dense, wild jungle that one could not hope to get through without guides.  
  
Dimly, she could hear her older sister flirting with her guard and her younger sister attempting conversation. It was then that she noticed the captain walking with her. "Oh, Captain, hello. How are you this morning?"  
  
Hojo threw training to the four winds and looked at her warmly. "I am fine, Lady Kagome. Please, call me simply Hojo." Kagome smiled hesitantly up at him and he felt his heart melt away.  
  
"Fine, Hojo, I will," she said calmly. "Tell me about this outpost. Mother said that it had been recently rediscovered."  
  
"Yes, it was," Hojo explained, glancing at the whitewashed buildings with the backdrop of the jungle. "Some army had come before us and built each and every building. Then, they abandoned for some reason for many years. Scouts found it, and your mother asked that it be made usable again. So, we fixed up the buildings and reclaimed this place. Some construction work is still being done."  
  
"I see," Kagome answered politely.  
  
"Tell me what has been going on in the Homeland," Hojo asked quietly.  
  
"The king was overthrown in a bloody revolt and the peasants destroyed all remnants of the army there," Kagome stated sarcastically. Hojo laughed heartily. Her mother had always greeted him as such.  
  
"And the royal line?" he prodded, hoping she knew the rest of the banter.  
  
"Completely destroyed except for a little boy who's nurse dragged him across the sea."  
  
Shippou watched his captain talk to his charge and groaned inwardly. Though she and he did not know it, Shippou now had to guard her from him. The native tribes and clans were not enough, he supposed. His captain was now a threat to her safety.  
  
He always hated double duty.  
  
________________  
  
Inuyasha's eyes were wide with amazement. Never had he see such a thing to the wild, untamable jungle. A chuckle from Kouga made his head turn, and he caught a flash of amusement in his brother's blue eyes.  
  
"Quite amazing, isn't it, Little One?" Kouga whispered, pushing the branch further back to allow for the whole group of buildings to be taken in. "But, there is a more amazing thing down in the docks! Look!" Inuyasha did as he was bidden and his eyes fell upon the most beautiful creature to ever walk the earth, or so he thought. Beside her were two younger girls, and older woman he supposed was her mother, and three men.  
  
"She's mine," Kouga hissed. Inuyasha spun to face him in shock. Surely he couldn't take the most beautiful thing ever to walk the earth!  
  
"What?" he cried.  
  
"The middle child. She's going to be mine."  
  
Inuyasha glanced down and found what he supposed was the middle child. She looked a lot like older girl, the object of his infatuation, but was obviously younger. Besides, her eyes were a different color; he could tell even at that distance.  
  
"A.a slave?" he asked, hoping fervently that he was right. Even as that thought crossed his mind, he could see an image of Miroku and Sango. He could see their broken-ness and emptiness. As he looked at the middle child, he knew that that sort of captivity, or any captivity, would kill her. It would break her spirit and destroy her.  
  
"If I meant slave, I would say slave," Kouga snapped. "You know what I meant." Inuyasha felt his stomach turn.  
  
"But-but that'll kill her!" he replied hotly.  
  
Kouga shook his head almost patiently. "No, it won't."  
  
"What- what about the clan? Surely they-"  
  
"Inuyasha, I am the Heir. No one will question me," Kouga returned, his voice growing agitated.  
  
"They should!" Inuyasha cried. Kouga smirked at his outburst.  
  
"So childish! The clan loves me."  
  
Inuyasha glared at Kouga before asking the question that had been bothering him for days. "Why did you proclaim me a liar before Father?"  
  
Kouga's thin patience snapped. "My father, not yours. You twisted that story to look like a hero in Father's eyes," he hissed, a deadly tone to his voice. "You always wanted to be Chief, but you cannot, simply because I'm first born!"  
  
Inuyasha gaped at his brother's accusation. "I did no such thing!"  
  
"JUST SHUT UP, INUYASHA!" Kouga screamed. "You've been a thorn in my side for too long!" Inuyasha's eyes widened before narrowing.  
  
"So, you'll just get rid of me?" he snarled. Kouga smirked.  
  
"I just might." __________________________________________________________________  
BOO HISS!! HATE KOUGA NOW!!!  
  
Oh well.  
  
Say, please review.  
  
I've got another story, called CHANCE AT LIFE, I do believe. If you wish to read it, it is in this time, with a new main character. It's S/R, I/K, K/N (in the beginning), and a little M/S, though it is only touched on. IT'S GOOD!  
  
I have an idea. What if there was a youkai that could not attack humans by law? Now harm can come to humans by her hands, AND SHE HATES HUMANS??? Tell me what you think of that idea as well. Just a small idea.  
  
So, review. That's nice. REEEVVVIIIIEEEEEWWWW!!!!! You know you want to.............................. 


	4. Chapter 2

I am alive.  
  
Hey, to sweetdaeth: I'm glad that you are in love with this story. Hopefully you could check my other story. Soon, I hope for other stories to come out. I'm going to have to find time to check out your stuff!  
  
ChristyKay(): All this praise will start to bloat my head! Thanks!! Hey, if Kouga's making you mad, I'm doing my job.  
  
So, Hojo is a captain in a Homeland military. Shippou is a Corporal, Jaken and Naraku are Privates. Kaede is a General. Any ideas for other characters??  
  
Sesshoumaru is happy with me. He finally gets to beat up Inuyasha in this chapter. But he's angry because he doesn't finish him. Hey, I need Inu- chan, Sesshy! But, you get Rin! Be happy!!!  
  
Sesshy: BUT I DON'T FINISH THE HANYOU!!!  
  
ME: So what??  
  
I gave up on him. So, read this and enjoy.  
"So, you'll just get rid of me?" he snarled. Kouga smirked.  
  
"I just might." ________________________________________________________________ Inuyasha was furious. His own brother would attempt to kill him! That was how far jealousy could take someone.  
  
He was so furious, in fact, that he did not know he was being attacked until the force of the attack had thrown him forward. Instinct caught him and he managed to spin to see his attacker.  
  
"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha cried. The exiled clan member smirked and raised his blade threateningly.  
  
"Well, well. Brother to the Heir, at my mercy," he gloated. Inuyasha thought back to his previous conversation and his face reddened in anger.  
  
"Like the Heir would care!" he spat.  
  
Sesshoumaru's face displayed only slight surprise. "Then I'll just kill you for my own amusement," he answered in a monotone. The blade raised higher and then fell like silver lightning.  
  
Inuyasha had guessed that would happen and dodged it easily before he was up and using his own short blade to defend against the exile's attacks. Unfortunately, being exiled had done its number on Sesshoumaru. He was faster and stronger, and his senses had been improved. Softer living had dulled Inuyasha's reflexes and instincts.  
  
Simply put, Inuyasha was unable to block every attack the exile threw at him. He was bleeding quite heavily before long, and quite possibly could have died, had the fight continued long.  
  
As it was, the fight did not continue long. There was a sharp cracking sound before the fighters paused. Sesshoumaru only took a moment to think before he was gone into the dense foliage.  
  
The sharp crack sounded again, nearly deafening Inuyasha's sensitive ears. Suddenly, he could pick out the sounds of beings moving all around where he was. Slowly, as if threatened, he backed away from the ever-closing circle like a cornered dog. The sharp crack sounded suddenly behind him and he leapt into the air in surprise.  
  
By the time he had recovered from the loud retort, he found himself being held tightly by two rather large men. He struggled, but his open wounds had weakened him beyond much struggle.  
  
"Poor creature," a soft voice sounded above him. A soft-faced, tall, dark- haired man stood above him. His face was filled with pity. "Well, he was trespassing on our lands. Bring him with, and bind him well."  
  
The two men holding him started to force his hands behind his back, but still he fought, even in his weakened state. Finally, he gave in to his fate and, wearily, he allowed the men to bind him. As he waited, he looked to the trees and saw a flash of white.  
  
Kouga sat in a tree, well-hidden from untrained eyes. White palm fronds hung from his head, creating the image of white, un-kept hair. A pleased grin was spread across his face hidden behind his hand. His shoulders were shaking from laughter.  
  
Inuyasha roared in rage and was quite pleased to see Kouga's face take on a look of shock and slight fear. He pulled at the two men, hoping they would just let go. Of course, they did not. The rage that was building up in him gave him strength and it did not take long for him to break loose from the men attempting to hold him. The men cried out as he slipped away from them.  
  
Suddenly, everything slowed. He ran toward his adopted brother, pleased to see the pig run off squealing, but there was a sharp click that echoed in his memory. Seconds later, he looked over to see the dark-haired man looking at him.  
  
The sharp crack sounded once more and there was a short burst of pain before he was washed in deep, unshakeable darkness.  
  
______________________  
  
Jaken was still upset to be chosen to be a babysitter, even if to the general's youngest daughter. He should be honored, as Shippou had pounded into him, but the darn girl was too talkative, too perky, and insisted on taking a walk in the jungle before the meal. And now, he was hungry and in the jungle with the girl and a few other soldiers he had called for simply on a whim.  
  
His sharper senses caught his attention as they picked up the sound of distant gunshots. He looked in their direction and looked at the soldiers later. One of the better soldiers raised her eyebrow, signaling she had heard them too.  
  
Kagura was a good soldier, jungle-trained. If she had heard things he thought he had heard, they had been real. He glanced fleetingly at the general's daughter and then looked back at her. She nodded and looked slightly northwest before she looked back at him.  
  
The other soldiers had no idea what was going on, but Jaken and Kagura did. The girl had to be brought back to the camp, and quick. The sound of gunshots is never a good thing to hear when around a camp is surrounded by enemies. Jaken started walking ahead to catch up with the girl, Rin, but a short, sharp scream to their right caught her attention. In the scream was pain, anguish, and defeat. Rin let out a heart-wrenching squeal at the sound and started trotting through the underbrush, lifting her skirts clear of the tearing grasses.  
  
Jaken mumbled under his breath as he raced after the girl. She screamed something of someone being hurt, and he motioned for the four other soldiers to hurry their runs and he sprinted to catch the renegade lady.  
  
She was found in a clearing covered in blood. It was not her blood, but it was over her skirts as she set them in blood-soaked grasses. In the corner of the clearing, under a leafy branch, Jaken could see golden eyes staring out at the newcomers with hatred. He could see the cruel glint of steel and knew instantly what it was when he saw the man-like hands gripping at torn, mangled flesh.  
  
"A man trap!" Rin screamed. The sound of pain her voice was strange to Jaken, and it set him on edge. For the child to feel pain for a wild man was not in his comfort zone. The mangled man looked up at her and let out a fairly convincing snarl. Unperturbed, the girl strode forward, slowly and gently, as if he was a wounded animal that needed her help. She made her way to him and pushed the leafy branch off of the trap, revealing a mangled mess that made even Kagura, the most emotionless soldier there, wince in pain.  
  
He snarled once more as she leaned down, a hand extended in a way that could be seen as friendly and helpful. In this snarl, Jaken could see teeth that had been sharpened to cruel points. He stepped forward as he saw the man readying to use those teeth. Never had he seen this sort of behavior in a human!  
  
Rin slowly leaned toward him, gentle and forgiving. The man lunged and the girl fell back, her voice ripping out of her lungs in a terrified and painful scream. She held her hand to her middle, red staining the fair white of her skin.  
  
Jaken saw the red and cried out. A guardian's instinct threw him into a rage. His short sword was out in seconds and held it over the man, as did the other four soldiers. An attacker of the general's daughter was to be dealt with seriously, and to rip apart her skin meant death.  
  
"No!" Rin cried, her hand clutched on her skirts, attempting to staunch the flow of blood. "He's scared! Take the trap off of him!" For a moment, Jaken considered ignoring her command, but he slowly nodded at Kagura. The woman sheathed her blade and moved to tend to the daughter as Jaken and the other males moved to the terribly impossible task of opening the jaws of steel.  
  
As Kagura bandaged the girl's hand, Rin looked at the man watching her. His golden eyes were wide in amazement and relief. They looked so much different than when she had been near him. He had had fear and pain clouding his eyes then. Now, he was watching her with almost total trust as the four men around him started to open the trap. His eyes only cast upon the men in fleeting glances; it seemed as if he could not bear not looking at the young teenager.  
  
Rin knew that there was no danger from him, even if his body was to heal perfectly. She did not know how she knew that, but she just knew that he would not harm her or any one she held dear if she told him not to.  
  
What seemed like an hour later, the trap was open enough for the man to pull himself out of the deadly jaws. When he was out, the four straining men let go of the trap and the jaws fell closed with a resounding clang. For a moment, the torn and broken man looked at the steel clamps and then looked at the small girl watching him trustingly. He attempted to stand, but the pain forced him to stay down.  
  
He gritted his teeth before he pulled himself to a moveable position. He slowly made his way to the girl, hoping that the men would not attempt to harm him as he did so. His silver hair fell about his shoulders as he pulled himself forward.  
  
The five guards watched nervously as the man started to crawl to the general's daughter. Kagura was the only one who was ready to fight, though, for she had not strained to open the deadly grip. Rin stepped toward the man, shortening his horrible movement to the minimum.  
  
Slowly, the man lowered his forehead to her feet and placed it gently there. "Milady," he murmured, his voice sounding harsh and rough even to him. The scream that had drawn the girl to him had ripped his throat apart. "I thank you and place my life into your hands."  
  
The girl stepped back for a moment and he waited silently for whatever she might have the men to do him. Suddenly, he could see that she was crouching down before him. She placed a hand upon his head. A look of slight shock covered his face as she lifted it to her. He could see the shocked looks on the faces of the people behind her and nearly smiled.  
  
"Take him with us," she said finally, looking at her guards. "Mother should be waiting for us."  
  
__________________  
  
End here? I don't think so. ARGH!!! This longer than I expected it to be. Two more scenes, at about the same length!! Oh well. So, continue with the story. What happens to Inuyasha? You'll see!!  
  
__________________________  
  
Inuyasha awoke to feel someone shaking him. "Wake up, will you? You sleep like a log," a gruff voice shouted. He snarled slightly and opened his eyes to glare at one of the soldiers that had taken him captive. "Come now, you're to see the General now."  
  
Inuyasha snarled again, angry that he was still held. He had been awoken before from his healing sleep, once when a soldier bandaging him had tore the skin a little more. The second was when a soldier had awoken him to feed him. He did not mind the second awakening that much. He had been pretty hungry anyway.  
  
Suddenly, the tall, dark-haired man was in the room. "Come on. Stand up unless you would like for us to carry you to the General. She is to be meeting with her daughters at this time as well. What sort of an impression would you create being carried in?"  
  
Inuyasha growled and silently obeyed the orders. Suddenly, Inuyasha remembered something, and the man became more important; he had been the one talking with the middle daughter, the one Kouga was going to kidnap! Kouga.  
  
He would never let Kouga get away with what he had done.  
  
"Bind him," the tall man ordered suddenly. Inuyasha blinked in shock, but before he could do anything, he was tied tightly. Shortly after, he was thrust before the man into the room before them.  
  
The room was a simply furnished office, the desk and main chair being simple but comfortable. A few other soft chairs were in the room. At the desk was an elder woman. In two of the chairs were what he supposed were guards. And in the other two chairs.  
  
His eyes fell upon the oldest daughter and he swallowed hard. She was beautiful, as if carved from pale granite and painted with onyx to create shadows. There was little color upon her, except for her lips that were bright red. Not one girl in the clan looked anything like her.  
  
"Captain Hojo!" the elder cried, rising from her chair. Inuyasha took that name and committed it to memory. "What is this?"  
  
"General Kaede, he was caught trespassing on our lands. I fear he could be a spy for one of the wild clans," the tall man answered.  
  
The elder woman thought this over for a moment before she looked Inuyasha in the eye and sighed gently. "The punishment for espionage is imprisonment," she said quietly, as if informing him of his options. Inuyasha knew he sputtered out some exclamation, but the next thing that happened erased his memory of what it had been.  
  
The middle daughter stood up and drew the attention of the room. Inuyasha suddenly saw her and could see the same beauty of her older sister, but she was more colorful, and she seemed to be real, not the granite carved look her sister had. "Mother," she started respectfully. Her hands were clenched in front of her, her fingers interlocked as if pulling strength from herself. "May I ask a question?"  
  
The mother smiled and nodded. "Of course you may, Kagome."  
  
"What has he done?" she asked bluntly. At the bluntness, the oldest sister stood up and placed a hand reproachfully on her shoulder. An irate expression crossed her granite face and she seemed to look to pull her sister backwards.  
  
"Why do you question Mother's judgement? What Mother says should be law to us!" the oldest girl cried.  
  
"Kikyo, Kikyo," the general murmured, holding her hands up to stop her eldest daughter. "Let your sister speak. Be patient."  
  
After given a look from the general, Captain Hojo moved to answer the girl. He faltered when she turned her glare on him, but he continued. "We believe he is a spy from the clans."  
  
"Why would the clans spy on us?" Kagome asked quietly.  
  
"We.are.the.invaders," the captain continued, as if embarrassed.  
  
"Why should we be afraid of the clans? This one carries only a short blade. Our soldiers carry a rifle, pistol, and a machete," she answered. After watching the captain sputter for a few moments on that question, she spun to face her mother. "We should have no fear of them. Mother, he has done nothing. Let him be free!"  
  
Inuyasha had a great, sudden, new respect for this girl. She was incredible at thinking this sort of thing through. Another interesting thing was the idea that she would argue for him, even though she knew nothing of him. He could have been a spy after all, and she would not have known and probably would still argue for him. These girls of this new people were strange things indeed. Not one girl in the clan looked or spoke like they did.  
  
The two men in the room were stunned and silent. The general smiled quietly, as if she had known this knowledge all along and had waited for the girl to act. "I am touched, Kagome. It will be done."  
  
The next thing Inuyasha remembered was being pushed outside a door that led to the open air. Not one soldier looked his way, and he was fully armed, freed, bandaged, the jungle before him. All he had to do was run to it and go to the clan and... The Clan.  
  
Kouga would be displeased that he got free. Kouga wanted that girl, Kagome. The girl who freed him.  
  
Slowly, he turned around and looked back at the building. If he were to go to the clan and let Kouga take her, he would never forgive himself. He could warn her; he owed her that much.  
  
Delicately, he sniffed the air. He was jungle trained, and his nose had been trained especially hard. Right now, he could smell three female scents he recognized. Two of the scents had the scent of youth. One of them, the slightly younger one, had the reek of the tall, dark-haired man with her.  
  
That had to be it. He dashed off, following the scent to a flight of stairs, down a hall, and finally, to a closed door. From his trained ears, he could tell that there was only one person in the room. He was grinning ear to ear now. He could see what would happen when he told her the warning. He could almost picture her throwing herself upon him. The only thing that would have made it better was if it was the oldest sister.  
  
He slid into the door, careful to close the door silently. The room reeked of a masculine scent that put him on edge, but he knew that that person was not there. The scent was old, but still was potently of a fast, cunning person. It reminded him of a fox's scent. It lacked brute strength, but was just as deadly with that speed and cunning.  
  
The soft scent of a youthful, feminine person caught his attention and pulled him from the thoughts of the guard. He followed the sounds that he could hear from outside and the teasing scent and wandered over to a smaller room off the side of the main room. Steam issued from the room, as did a sound that reminded him slightly of a waterfall. There was a cloth curtain, and behind it came all of the sounds and scent. Though he had no idea of what she was doing, he knew he had to talk to her. Confidently, he reached out his hand and ripped the curtain back.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"  
  
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^_^ Leave you here? I don't know, shall I? (Notices pleading look and tone in ChristyKay's last review and tries to resist.) No.must.resist. ARGH!! Fine, I'll continue the story.  
  
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Shippou had just been entering the room when he heard his charge scream. It took seconds for him to enter the bathroom and throw the shocked assailant to the floor. Using a memory that was almost instinct, he placed each knee on his opponent's elbows, one had on his neck, and one hand balled in a fist, prepared to strike.  
  
Shippou could catch the frantic sounds of Kagome's struggle to get something wrapped around her. He shuddered at the thought of what had almost happened and he, in respect for her dignity, made sure both pairs of male eyes stayed on each other. Before long, though, he got bored of watching the molten pools of gold.  
  
"So, Fool. What were you doing in Milady's chambers?" Shippou snarled, raising his fist before swinging it downwards.  
  
Inuyasha could only gasp before everything exploded in a flash of light.  
  
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ARGH!! Much too long of a chapter!!! Oh well, Kay, you'll have happy readers, so type on! You like typing anyways, don't you?  
  
Kay: ARGH!! CURSE YOU GIRLS!! (Any questions of what is going on, review and ask! ^_~!!!)  
  
________________________  
  
Miroku put his whittling aside as he heard the sounds of a body entering the cave. He had been waiting on his master, Inuyasha, to come back. Miroku entered the main cave, a slight smile gracing his handsome face as he remembered the conversation of the other night. After that conversation, they had been good friends, and Sango had been included. It had brought him hope that he might find a friend in this man.  
  
To his shock and horror, it was not Inuyasha that had entered the cave.  
  
"M-Master K-Kouga!" he cried, trying to cover his surprise. "How may I serve you?" Two things raised his suspicions. The first thing was that Inuyasha had told him all about the lies Kouga had told. The second thing was that Kouga never entered this cave unless he was forced to enter.  
  
"Take Inuyasha's belongings and throw them into the river. Use that one girl to help you," Kouga said, waving his hand in the general direction of the slave quarters, probably referring to Sango. Suddenly, Kouga had grabbed Miroku by the neck and lifted him to above his head. "Tell a soul what you are doing and your innards will mingle with hers in that same river."  
  
"What.what did you do.to Inu-Master Inuyasha?" Miroku hissed around the constricting grip, true, genuine curiosity in his eyes. He had learned to hide his emotions, and mainly, he was hiding his concern for his master.  
  
"I did nothing," Kouga spat, accenting the 'I'. "I could tell you, but if my father finds out." Kouga paused, tightening the grip he held on Miroku's throat. Miroku smiled in pure innocence and waited. "Inuyasha has been captured."  
  
"Captured?" Miroku gasped. Hope ignited in his heart. Captured meant another tribe or clan. No clan could kidnap Inuyasha, but one people could. The people he had been stolen from. The people with the weapons so far advanced they made the clans shameful and Neanderthal-like.  
  
Kouga saw the kindled flame of hope and chose to put it out. "No one knows you're in our clan," Kouga murmured smoothly, "and no one knows where we keep our clan, and no one knows about our clan, so shut up!" By the time he finished speaking, he was shouting. Suddenly, Kouga threw the slave to the ground and snarled loudly at the gasping slave. "Now stop wasting my time and do what you are told!"  
  
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*Little epilogue to Chapter 2 and a bit of foreshadowing*  
  
Miroku sat up once Kouga had left and glared at his retreated back. He held his throat gently, attempting to not brush the bruises the cruel fingers of his other master had left. He could hear the soft pattering of Sango's feet as she walked into the room and lay her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Are you all right, Miroku?" she asked hopelessly.  
  
"Yes, I'll be all right," he muttered angrily. Slowly, he sat up and swallowed to open his throat passages again.  
  
"So close to freedom, huh?" she murmured quietly. "Too bad they hid the clan so well." She buried her face into his shoulder and wiped away tears she was too proud to show.  
  
"Closer than you think, my dear," Miroku answered, laughing quietly, patting her head gently.  
  
Sango raised her head in surprise and looked at him as if he was insane. "You forget one person Kouga underestimates."  
  
Sango opened her mouth in understanding. "Inuyasha knows!"  
  
"Yes, he does, doesn't he?" Miroku smiled. Suddenly, she was pressing her lips upon his and he gave in to her. Suddenly, he realized belatedly that his hand was moving. Oh no.  
  
"HENTAI!" she screamed and slapped him, but not as hard as she could have.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered and caught her mouth with his again.  
  
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YEAH!!! The longest chapter I have ever written! TEN STINKING PAGES!! Three stinky days to type them, with resorting to working before school (6:25-6:50) and such. ARGH!! But I finished it! Scratch that, ELEVEN STINKING PAGES!!!!  
  
To tell you, I really didn't want this to be drama, but it's turning out that way. Darn it.  
  
So, warn me if I'm getting a little OOC, but hey, I'm working on trying to make them as in character as possible in these conditions.  
  
I really just typed the little epilogue as it came to me. This really should be PG-13, though. People read those more. I'll try it.  
  
TO ALL THOSE WHO HAD QUESTIONS OF ANY SORT: REVIEW AND THEY WILL BE ANSWERED!! YOU CAN EVEN ASK IF I'M SINGLE, FOR GOODNESS SAKES! To that, I answer that I am, of my own free will. Okay, scratch asking if I'm single.  
  
Did any one read the Author's Note at the beginning? It could answer a lot of questions, especially in the next chapter.  
  
Up and coming: "What are you doing up? The muscles in your legs were ripped asunder!"  
  
So, I'm done. See ya later. ~ Kay Kylo, and my darn female compadres.  
  
(Just for all the world to know before I am barraged with questions, I am a girl. Review and ask for clarification.) 


	5. Q and A session number 1

I got a review that stated a few questions that really were important (Thanks so much Twil!! You helped out so much!!) so I decided to put up one of those annoying author's notes to simply clarify. Okay, there were two things. Twil was confused in the shower scene first.  
  
Okay, Shower Scene. Inuyasha, not knowing what the hey is a shower, sees the curtain, and etc, but doesn't understand it. So, he knows he needs to talk to Kagome, and he pulls back the curtain.  
  
Any girl would scream when interrupted like that, and he was thrown into shock and stood there dumbfounded until Shippou tackled him. (Come on, he knew that she was doing something, he just didn't expect it to involve what it did.) Shippou then could hear that Kagome was trying to cover herself, so he watched Inuyasha to make sure he didn't sneak a peek beyond what he saw. Shippou isn't patient, so he got bored at lightning speed and decided to knock out Inuyasha to keep from being bored.  
  
Okay, so I'm cruel to Inu-chan. He'll be out at least four times in this story, but two have already occurred. (When Hojo shot him and just now).  
  
Another good question you brought up was if Sango and Miroku would be missing. Remember in the first chapter when Hojo mentioned there had been an army before them that had disappeared? Yeah, that's right. The army hadn't been that long ago, but the clans had destroyed them. They think the army deserted it. Not at all. The army was destroyed, when Miroku and Sango were children of army buddies. The clan chief was too soft-hearted to kill children, but his warriors didn't just want to let them go. So, we have grown (like twenties) slaves of Miroku and Sango. And yeah, they're together before the story starts.  
  
And Twil, I wonder, do you write? If you do, I would love to read some of your work. It's always fun to read other's work, isn't it? Okay, personal question, I'm sorry.  
  
One last thing: Thanks for giving me the honor of putting me on your Fav stories list! That's so great! I appreciate that so much!!  
To all: And about that one note at the end of last chapter about it being PG-13. HEE!! ^_^;; My sincere apologies. I uploaded that chapter and then found out that I really had it rated PG-13 before. Heh heh.  
  
That's all.  
  
~ Kay Kylo and my darn female counterparts, Litane, Jaelen, and Rinoa (Not from Final Fantasy 8). 


	6. Chapter 3! Finally!

Would you believe I believe my reviewers love me? YES, I DO!!  
  
ChristyKay: Thanks for your wonderful reviews!! Never worry about your reviews being too long. For me, there is no such thing. To answer your question, I am. But thanks for your support!!  
  
Sweetdaeth: Well, glad you like that chapter. I guess it is funny, huh? Especially the shower scene. ^o^  
  
Twil: I hope you get to work on your fan fiction soon! Well, of course, don't try to please the readers, but I like to please, so. I please anyway.  
  
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KENTUCKY DERBY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND NEW MOVIE OF SEABISCUIT!!!!!!!!!! (I'm a horse freak, huh??) JULY 25!!!! AND IT'S FUNNY CIDE, THE FIRST GELDING SINCE THE TWENTIES!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
So, here, Inu-chan's a jerk, Kagome gets deadly, Sesshoumaru tells everything to Rin, and Kikyo flirts. If you want me to get back to Sango and Miroku, give me an idea.  
  
And this is where I feel so.bad. I need help! I think I've figured it up to where Inu and Kagome confess (hey, it's a romance. Of course it would happen.). I know where I want this to go, but I'm not sure how to get there. So, I am humbly getting down to my knees to plea humbly for ideas. So, how can I get them together? (Inuyasha and Kagome.) How can I get the general to trust Inuyasha? HELP!!!!!  
  
Okay, nothing more to say, I think, so here it goes.  
  
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Inuyasha woke up behind bars with the worst headache he had ever experienced. Slowly, he became aware of his surroundings and sat up. Once he was up, he automatically wished he hadn't spent the energy to lift his tired, aching body to see that. There was nothing to see. He was lying on a simple bed with a thin, woolen blanket tucked around him. In his cell was a stone-hewn table, a wooden stool, and a pail. He could understand the meaning of the pail, thankfully.  
  
"Hey, new kid, you're awake!" a high, nasal voice called. Inuyasha looked outside his cell, across the hallway, and his eyes met total darkness. But slowly, he got accustomed to the light and could pick out two eyes looking at him out of the darkness. "What did you do to get in here?" Inuyasha thought for a moment and could remember that he had been free, and then he entered into that girl's room and was suddenly here. He couldn't for the life of him understand what he had done wrong.  
  
"I do not know," Inuyasha answered, as truthful as he had been lately.  
  
"That kit was pretty angry when he dragged you in here!" the man continued. Inuyasha suddenly thought that the voice was rather annoying and only added to the pain that his heavily throbbing head gave him.  
  
"Kit?" he murmured questioningly. The eyes moved as if the man was nodding.  
  
"Yeah. That's the nickname for the Corporal Shippou. He's the guard to Lady Kagome," the man answered. Inuyasha thought for a second. The man who had attacked him in that one room, before he was thrown in here. The smell had reminded him of a fox. The nickname of a child fox fit him well. To answer the man without prompting conversation, he nodded dumbly. Luck was with him, though, because at that precise time, there was the sound of rusted hinges squeaking a good ways away.  
  
"Listen up, you brutes!" a heavy, thick, gruff voice bellowed down the hallway. "Put a civil tongue in your mouths! A lady's coming in!"  
  
There was a soft pattering only lady's feet can make before it was quickly drowned out by the sounds of whistling and cries for mercy. Inuyasha could even pick out a few calls of appreciation of beauty. The sounds were loud and even started to cause his head to throb harder.  
  
"SHUT UP!" the gruff voice screamed. Once again, it was silent. By that time, the footsteps had gotten closer and were still coming, moving from side to side as if looking for something. Inuyasha could feel curiosity getting a stranglehold on him. Slowly, carefully, he crawled to the bars and pressed his face closer to see farther down the hallway.  
  
And it was with his face pressed to the bars, mouth hanging open in wonder, eyes wide with curiosity's stranglehold, that he saw her again. She came into view and saw him. Unfortunately, he could not pull away from the embarrassing position fast enough. He scrambled back as she giggled lightly.  
  
"Hello," she said, muffling her giggles. "I am Kagome." Inuyasha only glared in return. "Who are you?"  
  
Inuyasha chose to not answer that. "Why am I in here?" he snarled instead. Kagome chuckled quietly and pulled out a ring of keys and slipped into his cell. Inuyasha could not help but compare her to her older sister as she did so. She had a childish grace and beauty, while her sister was more womanly. Much more womanly, as he thought of it. She could be just as attractive as the older sister, if she could grow up some.  
  
"You are not in here by my doing," Kagome answered. "Shippou brought you here. I am sorry he is so rough, but he was.scared." Inuyasha brought his hand to his still-throbbing temple and forced himself to recall what had proceeded the fist to his head. What came to mind immediately raised a blush to his face.  
  
"Wh-what were you doing before.behind the.cloth." he asked, hesitantly, curiously. Kagome saw also his embarrassment and laughed loudly.  
  
"Shippou was certain you knew exactly what you were doing!" she cried. She chuckled a little while longer before attempting to explain what happened. "It seems he was mistaken. I was bathing myself." Kagome blushed softly as she recalled what had happened from her own point of view. "Why did you come back looking for me?"  
  
Somewhat stung by her laughter, he snorted and lifted his nose away from her. "I don't feel like telling you."  
  
"Oh, you don't?" she murmured, her voice challenging. "I have the power to lock you in this cell for the rest of your life, and I have the power to refuse you freedom until you tell me why you came back. Though I did not put you in here, I have the power to let you out or keep you in!" Inuyasha blinked and stared in surprise at her sudden show of aggression. "So, if you want out, I can speed your freedom if you simply tell me," Kagome finished, her voice as sweet as honey in the last sentence. She even smiled like honey might have smiled, if it could smile.  
  
Inuyasha thought long and hard, though he stopped when he noticed her impatience. Though he was afraid of going back to the clan, he really wanted to get out of the prison. Besides, he had decided to warn her before he got thrown in here- again. "Fine. Someone I know is planningtokidnapyou," he muttered, jumbling the last four words together under his breath.  
  
"What?" Kagome hissed as politely as possible. She thought she had heard something, but she wasn't quite sure if she was right. She hoped she was not right.  
  
"Planning to.kid.nap.you." he finished his warning in a small voice, sounding like a little boy admitting he had done something wrong.  
  
She had been right.  
  
"Who?" she asked quietly, her voice fearful. Inuyasha didn't want to tell her, because then it would probably take longer to get out of here then. How suspicious would that sound, "yeah, my brother was planning to kidnap you. I didn't tell him not to, though." But he made the common mistake of looking into her fearful eyes.  
  
Common mistake, but a big mistake nonetheless. "The Heir to the Wolf Clan, Kouga. He's.my brother." Inuyasha hung his head, imaging what she was thinking. Probably thought he had volunteered to help out, but he did not! She probably thought he did not care if she was kidnapped, but he did care.  
  
"Why?" Kagome pleaded quietly.  
  
"I don't know," he lied before adding with a snicker, "especially you of all people." He snickered louder when her face grew red.  
  
"Why you!" she cried indignantly. "I've never seen such immaturity in a man! Now you will for certain have to wait before your freedom, Wild Man!" And with that, she was out of the door and storming down the hall.  
  
Wild man. It stung him more than he expected it to, and that only angered him. Getting up, he tested the door she had so rapidly left. It was locked tightly. Locked in, held by a woman who insulted him, and angry. That was never a good mix for him.  
  
_____________________  
  
Are you all wondering what has happened to Sesshoumaru? I thought so. Well, wonder no longer. Here it comes. What you've all been waiting for, the question and answer session with Sesshoumaru and Rin.  
  
______________________  
  
Rin closed her room door after finally herding out Jaken. He was too protective! Sesshoumaru would not harm her. He wouldn't even look at her if commanded not to.  
  
"So, Sesshoumaru," she murmured, turning to the room she had left him in. "Eep!" He was not in that room. He was right behind her. "What are you doing up? The muscles in your legs were ripped asunder, and the doctor insisted-"  
  
"Your doctor has never worked on exiles before," the silver-haired man said, his voice still hoarse. "If I was to stay in that bed, I would never be able to protect myself."  
  
"Silly!" Rin giggled. "You're under my protection now!"  
  
He raised an eyebrow curiously and amusedly. "You are rather small to be protecting me."  
  
"I have power, Sesshoumaru. I am the general's daughter. If I command the troops and men to protect you, they will," Rin explained with a happy grin on her face, as if she was talking of a dance, not a subject of much death over the centuries. Sesshoumaru's eyes went to the window where one could see the training troops. He could understand that there was something about this power that could be dangerous, but for now, it offered comfort. A ghost of a smile flitted across his face.  
  
"I see."  
  
"Tell me about the jungle, Sesshoumaru," Rin pleaded, sitting beside him on the makeshift bed. His eyes suddenly darkened, as if he was looking into a dark past.  
  
"It is a place no man should be forced to live alone in. It is deadly," he murmured. One glance at the girl told him that she was captivated. "It is beautiful, too, but it is sad to see it when one is alone," he continued before glancing at the girl beside him. She had the beginning beauty of a woman, but the thicker cheeks of childhood were still obvious. She was fair and her skin was smooth from a soft life. And her hands.  
  
He stopped and looked at the hands clasped in her lap. One was wrapped in a bloodied linen cloth and he looked away in shame. He had been half out of his mind with pain, and he had wished for those blades to fall, to end his horrible existence and misery. But then, she had stopped them.  
  
"Sesshoumaru," Rin asked, her voice cutting into his thoughts. But rather than be angry, he waited for her to speak, glad for the interruption. "How did your teeth get so sharp?" He ran his tongue over his canines instinctively and tried to recall the answer to her question.  
  
"When I was younger, it was the clan tradition to file the teeth to points. It's been stopped now, but mine have stayed," he answered, glad to pull his mind to the practical information, not the incredible pain of the filing, the grinding tool scraping and breaking nerve endings. He still had no feeling in those teeth.  
  
"You mentioned you were exiled," Rin started again. Sesshoumaru had to fight the rising grin from his face. Never had he met such an inquisitive child! "Why?" The smiled and feeling of happiness vanished like a vapor in the sun.  
  
"You shouldn't know," he answered emotionlessly. The chief had been merciful to let him live, but he had stolen Sesshoumaru's father's sword in payment for what he had done. And now, it was held in Kouga's hands.  
  
To his relief, Rin decided to not press the topic. Instead, she chose to chatter on about the outpost and other small things. Her voice filled his senses, which might explain how he could have been surprised by the sudden sound of a second voice and Rin's room's door opening.  
  
"Rin, remember that new prisoner I told you a-" The young woman who had stepped into the room stopped and stared for a second before her jaw dropped. Sesshoumaru was moving; he knew what would come next.  
  
His hand slapped over her mouth and he pinned her to the wall, effectively cutting off the scream before a sound could escape.  
  
"Kagome!" Rin cried, touching his arm. "Please, don't scream. He'll let you down, but please, don't scream." Kagome nodded as best she could with a hand clasping her mouth closed and was released.  
  
"Rin! That new prisoner I told you about. Guess what he did!" Kagome hissed once she was free, promptly forgetting Sesshoumaru. Rin winked at him and motioned for her to go on. "He came back and caught me in the shower!"  
  
"In the shower?" Rin repeated in surprise.  
  
"Yes! Shippou got him to the prison, though, and I decided to ask why he came back. He said he had come to warn me of something."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
Sesshoumaru was not listening to the girlish talk. He had not even understood his own people when the girls spoke together like this.  
  
"That this Kouga person-"  
  
"KOUGA?" Sesshoumaru screamed, his entire mind brought to their discussion suddenly. Both young women jumped back in surprise and, in Kagome's case, in fear. Noticing that, he spat out the quickest explanation he could manage. "He's the son of the one who exiled me!"  
  
Kagome was wide-eyed in thought. He turned on her as he tried to place who would have warned the girl for Kouga. "What did he look like?"  
  
Kagome thought for a moment before she looked at the silver-haired, yellow- eyed man before her. "Goodness! He looks a bit like you, actually!" Sesshoumaru knew only one person who looked like him.  
  
Slowly, his knuckles popped as he pushed them together. "Inuyasha." he snarled. He did not notice that Kagome was suddenly interested.  
  
"Is that his name?"  
  
He did not answer her. He was caught up in a rage that no voice could ever pull him out from. Or, well, almost no voice.  
  
"Sesshoumaru!" Rin snapped. Instantly, the rage disappeared from his eyes. "Can you leave us, please?" Sesshoumaru realized what he had been doing and obeyed her immediately. It did not matter that he could have heard her if he wanted to, but it hurt that she had to have shouted to get his attention.  
  
Kagome watched the man leave the room and then turned on her sister slowly. "Rin." she started in a threatening way, "why is that here?"  
  
Rin frowned at her choice of words and stood tall beside her sister. "He is here because I brought him, Kagome," Rin answered defiantly. Kagome pulled on her dangerous look that made even her older sister break. Slowly, Rin chewed on her lower lip.  
  
"Does Mother know he's here?" she asked snappishly. Hesitantly, Rin shook her head. "Is he the reason you skipped dinner today?" She nodded hesitantly. "That's it. We have got to talk to Mother. Come on!"  
  
Rin just barely got to bid Sesshoumaru farewell and explain where she was going and why before Kagome dragged her out the door.  
  
____________________  
  
Curse that girl. If he could get out of here, she would need more than that fox guard to keep him from getting her. Who did she think she was, leaving him to rot in this cell?  
  
Wait, scratch that. She knew who she was, and she used that position to the utmost.  
  
Curse that girl.  
  
Inuyasha paid no heed to the squeal of rusted hinges, or the sounds of the jailer's voice yelling the typical warning of civil tongues. What caught his attention, though, was the stark silence that came after the visitor entered the hallway. Not one inmate called out. Not in appreciation of looks or pleas for mercy, like they had done for Kagome. The silence startled him out of his thoughts and left him staring at the wall as he listened to the ever-approaching footsteps. Suddenly, they stopped.  
  
Behind him.  
  
He could practically feel those eyes glaring at him as he felt shudders race up his spine. It was her, the one woman that was more beautiful than any in the whole world.  
  
"Well, Wild Man. You caught my sister unawares in her bedroom. Quite a way to repay her."  
  
Inuyasha's rage had been seething before, but with this sudden statement, he was pushed over the edge. "Now, see here Wench!" he started in anger, but one look into her eyes and his rage dissipated. "I-I am sorry."  
  
Kikyo smiled warmly outside his cell, but the smile came no where near her eyes. "That is quite all right. I am called Kikyo. What is your name?"  
  
Inuyasha allowed his eyes to feast on her beauty as his tongue worked on its own. "Inuyasha," he stated, offering a small grin. The young woman looked confused as he grinned at her.  
  
"Why did you smiled?" His face burned in embarrassment as he thought of the reason why. It was preposterous! He, a wild man, was in love with the General's daughter! (1) How stupid did that sound?  
  
A rustle of silks and the click of a rusty lock, and Kikyo was in his cell. "Come now, don't be shy. Why did you smile, and why do you blush now?" Kikyo knew exactly why, but she needed him to say it. When she had seen his look of infatuation when she first saw him, she had plans for him. He had to say it, and judging by the incoherent muttering he was going, he was about to spit it out.  
  
"I think I."  
  
"Yes?" So so close.  
  
"Love.you."  
  
"Love me?" she cried out, knowing she had surprised him and made him feel shame. Perfect. He had said it! "Now, Inuyasha-chan, that is not fair! You can claim love, but you cannot prove it!" She turned away from him and folded her arms over her chest. This was too easy. What a fool.  
  
She could hear his surprised sputtering before he finally spat out the words she had been hoping, praying that he would say. "How can I prove it? I'll do anything!"  
  
Dangerous words to promise. "Anything?" she said thoughtfully, staying turned away from him. "What if you get me something?"  
  
"Anything!" he shouted. Perfect. Too easy and complicated for a simple fool like him. She grinned knowingly and turned back to him.  
  
"Fine. Get me the Shikon no Tama."  
  
_________________________________________________  
  
(1): The Homeland thinking is rubbing off on him. Can you tell?  
  
YEAH!!! So sorry, my friends and followers, that it took so long. I am simply slow and my teachers are cracking down on me. Sophomore slide is fun. My parents are too, but I can escape them easier.  
  
Nine pages.  
  
I have been following only the greatest story ever!!! If any of you like Rurouni Kenshin, or haven't heard of it at all, go there and find a story called "When the World Revolves Around You." It is totally awesome. Great, wonderful, lovely story.  
  
You think I'm good, this author is a second Charles Dickens, but with less long boring stuff. They are awesome! Twenty-nine chapters and still going!! If you like my story, do me a favor and read that story. Of course, if you aren't thirteen, don't bother until you are.  
  
I was looking at the stuff I typed up above and I realized that I was definitely hyper when I mentioned the horseracing. Yikes. I've been working on this for a whole month. -_-;;. Yucky.  
  
So sorry if you're a Kikyo fan and reading this. Yes, Kikyo is not a good person in here. But she's not the bad-guy! Kouga's the bad guy!  
  
Tell me what you think of the format, the story line, any IDEAS FOR THE REST OF IT! And other stuff of course. Flames are welcomed and thought of as constructive critism. YELL ALL YOU WANT AND I WON'T LIFT A FINGER AGAINST YOU!!!  
  
Typical pleas here, for reviews and stuff.  
  
(Looks ready to wait patiently. Looks around..) OKAY!!! I CAN'T STAND IT!!! REVIEW, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! If your name is not up on top of this page, review. If your name is on top of this page, review.  
  
Nothing else to say.  
  
~ Kay Kylo and my stinky female compadres.  
  
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	7. A strange but important request you must...

This may seem a strange request to ask of all of my readers, but I would like to ask that you pray, yes, pray for one of my friends. She is having a tough time, and everything is rough for her.  
  
I am not trying to offend you in any sort, but, please, to save her life, pray that she'll have strength and courage and the power to hold on.  
  
If you are not the religious sort, at least review telling me or my friend something encouraging. I am not trying to scare you away, but please, I need help, and she needs it more that I do.  
  
Pray, pray, pray.  
  
That's all I can say of now.  
  
Thank you for those of you who support me and my friend. Pray for protection or something. At least keep her from taking her own life.  
  
Thank you so much.  
  
~ Kay Kylo 


	8. So sorry!

I am so sorry for not updating for a while, but I have this really annoying problem with the Internet right now. My account won't let me upload anything! I click the button that says upload document, and it lets me, and then it says I don't have anything uploaded when I try to add the chapter! So, this is also a test as well as a note to the people who read my stuff.  
  
If anyone knows how I might be able to remedy this, I would appreciate it!  
  
Also, I use these places to put up ideas, and I was thinking about using Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream to play with the relationships between the Inuyasha couples. That would be fun as well! So, what do you think of that? If I translated the words to today's English and put it in story format and not play format, do you think it would be a hit? If I go well with this, I'll do another Shakespeare play, as long as it's a comedy. Tragedies make me cry and Histories bore me.  
  
Well, so, sorry that this is not working out, but I'm sure I'll get this darn computer working with me.  
  
~ Kay Kylo 


	9. Chapter 4 I think it is good now!

Oh, great, now you've gone and done it. You've broken the internet.  
  
Not really, but I saw that on Angelfire and I loved it so much I decided to put it on here. I like it a lot. It's funny.  
  
Another chapter, and before it all begins, I have some stuff to say.  
  
I would like to thank those who prayed for my friend. She's getting professional help now, and on drugs, so thank you so much. (Tired grin) She's happy I told, which is nice.  
  
To get personal, I would like to thank those who reviewed to my problem.  
  
To reader(): Thank you for caring enough to send your own story, sort of. It really helped me too.  
  
To ChristyKay(): Thanks for praying for her. The problem was, she was considering suicide for a year before she told me, and I just found out that last Friday, June 6. So, by June 8, my parents knew and my parents called her parents, who got her help by June 10. It all happened really fast, but it's good now.  
  
I'm sorry if this is a weird set-up, but this darn site won't let me get this chapter up in story format.  
  
Well, thanks to those who waited patiently for this chapter. Chapter 4, and still moving on, sluggishly, but moving on.  
  
Warning: Those who hate Kikyo/Inuyasha pairings, beware this chapter. Read it, it's important, but don't attack your computer for what Kikyo will say. (^_^!!!)  
  
_______________  
  
Previously:  
  
"What if you get me something?"  
  
"Anything!" he shouted. Perfect. Too easy and complicated for a simple fool like him. She grinned knowingly and turned back to him.  
  
"Fine. Get me the Shikon no Tama."  
  
__________________________  
  
Inuyasha blinked in surprise. "The- the Shikon no Tama?" he hissed. "Are you crazy?"  
  
Kikyo put on her best pouting face. "If you really loved me, you'd at least try. Besides, how hard can it be for a big," she paused and started walking her fingers up his arm, "strong, handsome, courageous, lovable man like you." By this time, she had reached his shoulder and had his full attention.  
  
"I'll do it," he murmured as if in a trance. "Just tell me when."  
  
Kikyo smiled. "Tonight," she whispered, as if it was suddenly very important. "I'll come and let you go. Once you get me the Shikon no Tama, you can go free, no strings attached." She could see a light in his eyes glow at the prospect of being free.  
  
"Thank you, Milady," Inuyasha muttered, his voice husky suddenly. Kikyo smiled at him, knowing what he wanted, but she did not care. She simply wanted the Shikon no Tama, and she was going to get it.  
  
"Inu-chan, I need to go," she whispered. Inuyasha kissed her quickly before he did let her go, moving to the side to let her pass. Kikyo looked into his totally infatuated face and smiled seductively. "Good night," she muttered enticingly. Inuyasha swallowed and could only let out a grunt before he smiled in return.  
  
"Tonight?"  
  
"Tonight. Be ready."  
  
"I will. Good night."  
  
"Good night."  
  
___________________________  
  
Rin was more than nervous. She was terrified. Kaede could see that much. After Kagome had insisted that Rin tell their mother, Kaede had asked to see this so-called wild man. If he had survived a mantrap and could stand, certainly he could be a powerful warrior, if taught the use of their weapons. And, if what Rin said was true, Kaede might have a use for him.  
  
The general smiled inwardly, but made no sign of it on her face as she followed her daughters down the hall. Though her children may not know it, each flick of their hair, each shift of their eyes, and each movement in itself opened a book to her. Kaede could tell everything they thought or felt, what they wanted to do, what they were going to do. Friend or foe, Kaede could read anyone clearly.  
  
There was a reason she was general.  
  
Trailing behind the women were Jaken and Shippou. Kaede had called for these men to come just in case. Though she was a powerful woman and always ready for a brawl, she now had two daughters with her to worry about. Two men could be good back up.  
  
Kaede waited politely as Rin entered her room to warn her guest of the other visitors. After a moment, Rin waved her mother in and Kaede entered. Before her stood the man her daughter had rescued.  
  
He was tall and thin, muscular and broad-shouldered. His face was well proportioned and refined. If she did not know better, she could have thought him a young lord from her homeland. His hair might have been too long for hygiene and other requirements, but that could be fixed. His legs were torn and mauled, but she could see from the stains on the bandages that he was healing already and the bleeding had stopped.  
  
Yes, he would do.  
  
Kaede had not moved; she had just stood still and examined him with her eyes. Now, she could see that her silence had affected them all. Her soldiers were silent and unmoving, just as the training had pushed for, but the nervous flickering of their eyes was obvious to her. Her daughters were wringing their hands and smoothing their hair in fear. She did not focus on those four people though. She had expected those kinds of reactions from them.  
  
The man's expression was still static and emotionless, except for slight tremors in his arms and up his back that could have simply been waves of pain from his mangled legs. She calmly looked into his golden eyes, which was hard since she had not seen golden eyes before, except for on that one prisoner's eyes. She saw no emotion in them.  
  
She knew better. The most high-ranking Homeland generals would break under her stare. He would be no different.  
  
As she predicted, he soon started looking to random areas at random times. She did nothing, though, for a moment, letting him worry before a rugged grin cracked her weathered features.  
  
"What is your name?" she asked in a no-nonsense voice. She knew that this clashed with her sincere grin, but she did not care one bit.  
  
"Sesshoumaru."  
  
"Do you have any loyalties to any clans?" she asked in a softer tone, remembering Rin's reluctance to talk about the fact he had been exiled. Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed before hardening.  
  
"No."  
  
"If your brother was to attack my daughter, any daughter, but for imagination's sake, Rin, would you protect her at any cost?"  
  
"I do not have a brother."  
  
"Pretend for me," Kaede commanded. Sesshoumaru was silent for a moment before he nodded slowly. "Good. Now, go lie down. Those spasms have been getting terrible." Sesshoumaru did not look surprised in the least that she had known they had been getting bad, but that did not matter. What did was that he obeyed her quickly and without question. So few of her younger soldiers did that. There was another plus to her checklist.  
  
"Jaken."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am?"  
  
"As of now, Sesshoumaru is second personal guard to Rin. This young man has great potential."  
  
"B-but General!" Jaken stuttered in protest, but a harsh glare from Kaede silenced him. "Yes, General Kaede."  
  
"You will be superior to Sesshoumaru, if that makes you feel better," she whispered quietly to Jaken. She was not surprised, though, when she heard a loud shout of protest from the other room. Improved senses: check. She straightened up and, fighting a smile, she shouted, "Sesshoumaru, it is considered, in our culture, rude to listen to a conversation you are not invited into."  
  
"In my culture, it is considered folly to place the weak in command of the strong," his deep voice answered agitatedly. Good judge of ability: check. Kaede could feel Jaken stiffen in anger, but she only shrugged.  
  
"You two men figure this out yourselves," she decided, shooting a glare at Jaken to keep him under control. "If you will excuse me," she added, "I have some business to attend to."  
  
_________________________  
  
Inuyasha yawned. Finally, Blabbermouth across the way had fallen asleep. He was a blabbermouth too. Even if Inuyasha had wanted to put in his two- cent worth, he would not have been able to. Blabbermouth's jaw never stopped working.  
  
He turned his attention down the hallway as drunken laughter filled the air. The jailer was drinking his way to oblivion, and any moment now he was bound to pass out.  
  
A hollow thud announced the jailer's loss of consciousness. Inuyasha frowned. Where was Kikyo? Surely she had not forgotten him! A small voice in his head told him she had, but another argued she could not have.  
  
The jail door opened suddenly, but the customary squeak did not accompany it. Someone had greased the hinges. Excited, Inuyasha stood to greet the tiptoed steps coming toward him.  
  
Kikyo stepped into view, twirling the jailer's set of rings. "He always was a sucker for wine and a raving fool for brandy," she explained quietly. She unlocked the door and opened it wide enough for him to go through. "Go and be free," she whispered to him. "But remember, to obtain my approval, you must get me the Shikon no Tama."  
  
Inuyasha grinned and winked. "I'll get you that little jewel, believe me. I'll get it to you in a week or not at all."  
  
Kikyo smiled her sweetest smile. "Of course you will. Best of luck to you, Inuyasha." With that, Inuyasha gave Kikyo a quick peck on the cheek and was gone. Kikyo smiled after him, but this smile was not warming or soft. Rather, it was more of a smirk than a smile.  
  
Everything was going according to plan. None of her mother's guards could keep him in, and the legendary jewel would be hers.  
  
______________________________  
  
That's it folks! Five pages, which is short, I know, but the next part was so long, I decided to place it in chapter five, and the last part of chapter five in chapter six.  
  
So, relax all those who are upset about Kikyo. If you hate Kikyo, I'm doing my job (again)!  
  
This is fun, really, making people dislike imaginary characters placed in imaginary settings.  
  
Nothing to do, nothing to say.  
  
Review! REVIEW!!!  
  
The faster you review, the faster I will type to post the next chapters!  
  
Oh, there's a really funny story called "The Best Story I've Ever Written." I recommend it. It's short, sweet, and it is good for all those who despise Kikyo. Believe me, you'll like it.  
  
Any questions, ask. I like being asked questions. It helps me develop the story line better for future purposes, like fashioning this to an original story, since the story line is original. The characters are not!  
  
OH, yeah, I've been forgetting.  
  
DO NOT OWN THIS INCREDIBLE ANIME!!  
  
You know, my friends usually choose characters and we place ourselves in every anime we come across. We haven't even tried it in Inuyasha. It's too good to do that to.  
  
I've got something new up, but I'm not sure what to do with it, so maybe you could read it, if you want. I think it's called Secondary, but I cannot remember. They did not let me put it up under the same title as the other parts of it. And I forgot to put the disclaimers on those stories.  
  
Oops.  
  
So, I've finish rambling. REVIEW!!!  
  
~ Kay Kylo 


	10. Chapter 5 Slowly, slowly, slowly

Hello. I'm still working on this darned story. Okay, I've got chapter five, and a fourth of chapter six. I am so dead! I usually get to the climax before I lose it. Well, I've lost it and I am no where near the climax. I am so dead.  
  
You know, I was looking at what I have posted, and I noticed that I have nine chapters, and four of them are notes. Almost half of what I have posted are author's notes! I am so sorry my friends! Please excuse that. I will try to post less notes up, okay?  
  
To:  
  
GoddessLD: Thanks for joining the party over here! Sorry it's confusing. I have question and answer sessions if you can come up with a specific question. And don't worry about Inuyasha and Kikyo. It's over really quick. Actually, read on!  
  
ChristyKay: Once again, thanks for your support. I counted, and of 13 reviews on this story, you submitted 7. That's (Runs for a calculator) over fifty percent of my reviews, close to sixty percent.  
  
AND THE AWARD OF MOST REVIEWS GOES TO: CHRISTYKAY!!!  
  
In other words, thanks! ^_^!  
  
My teachers have always told me a plot line goes up and then down. MINE DOESN'T!! Mine goes up, up, down, up, up, up, down, down, down, up, up, down, end. Or something like that. That's really fun too, you reach an end to one problem and another arises. HOW FUN IS THAT???  
  
I REALLY need to stop rambling. SORRY!!!  
  
HAVE FUN WITH THE NEXT CHAPPIE!!!!  
  
_____________________________  
  
Sesshoumaru leaned out the window, stretching his cramping, healing legs. The air was thick and muggy at night but was buggier during the day. The entire outpost building was open air, giving maximum comfort in the jungle heat.  
  
He glanced at the bed further back in the shadows and his face softened to see the soft movement of his sleeping charge. She looked like her mother, soft and yet determined. Dark eyes and dark hair and pale skin may have been common among her people, but she was anything but common. He had seen that her mother had been a gorgeous woman. Rin would be a beautiful young woman.  
  
Sesshoumaru turned his head as he heard a soft sound outside Rin's door. Just Jaken. He had insisted on guarding the door. The fool; if a clan member wanted to kill her, they would not knock on the door and ask to enter. They would slip in the window and rip her apart in bed. He should know.  
  
He was glad he had made it very clear to Jaken that he, Sesshoumaru, was in charge. That fool could not protect a fly.  
  
Sesshoumaru looked back out the window and smiled slightly. The night was quiet and the moon was hidden. The time when every clan member was either asleep or on a raid. He doubted that they would raid this outpost this early. The clans would attack only when certain of the weakness and victory over a people strange to them.  
  
His eyes landed on a movement, but he did not see anything. Suspicious, he watched the area before he saw a flash of silver.  
  
Long silver hair. New prisoner that looked like Inuyasha. Late at night. 'Escape!' Ghost-like, Sesshoumaru slipped out of the window and followed the escaping prisoner. Any soldier who saw him would have called him a wraith.  
  
Inuyasha did not have much faith in himself, he could see; he kept to the shadows and avoided the guards. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru saw that he was racing across an open space. Taking the chance, Sesshoumaru leaped. There was only snarls before Sesshoumaru had Inuyasha pinned. For a moment the two men stared at each other before Inuyasha moved to speak.  
  
"If you are here on a raid, Sesshoumaru, I will have to stop you," Inuyasha hissed.  
  
"You are really not in a position to be stopping me," Sesshoumaru replied calmly. "And, it is cowardly to try to escape from imprisonment like you were."  
  
One thing he knew of Inuyasha was that he hated to be called a coward, and he was right. He had heard Inuyasha yell before, but never had he heard him scream so angrily. Unfortunately for the young man beneath him, he had pinned him well. Nothing Inuyasha did could pull him from Sesshoumaru's grasp.  
  
There were the sounds of feet as the compound awoke to his yell. Inuyasha smiled wickedly. "Well now, Raider, you've been caught."  
  
"You are mistaken," Sesshoumaru answered, his own cruel grin sliding onto his face. "While you are a prisoner here, I am a guest and a guard here." Inuyasha did not believe him, and he knew he would not, but he had warned him, had he not?  
  
"Sesshoumaru! What's going on?" Rin called, running to him on light feet. Inuyasha's face took on a look of horror as he saw the general's daughter run up to him and stop short, a hand over her mouth in shock. "Sesshoumaru?"  
  
"He was trying to escape," Sesshoumaru answered.  
  
"Not that! You've re-opened those wounds!" Rin cried. He looked sheepishly at his legs to see red seeping through the bandages. "Guards," Rin commanded to the guards that had run with her, "take him to Mother; Jaken, get Kyode!" She gently placed a bandaged hand on his shoulder and Sesshoumaru shuddered at the light touch. A flicker of torches became obvious as the guards that had come with Rin secured Inuyasha.  
  
"Mother!" Rin called. "Come quickly!" The general was soon visible, along with her other two daughters. Like Rin, the other young women were still in their night dress with their hair out of the confines that they secured it to in the day.  
  
"What happened?" Kaede demanded.  
  
"It seems he was trying to escape, and Sesshoumaru stopped him," Rin explained. Kaede looked to Sesshoumaru for verification and he gave it with a curt nod of his head.  
  
"Desertion is usually forty lashes the next day. What should it be for escape, my daughters?" Kaede asked. She turned to look at the two older girls as Inuyasha let out a strangled cry.  
  
"Twenty on the spot," Kikyo answered suddenly. Kagome turned an open mouth to Kikyo in shock, and Inuyasha struggled to break from the men holding him. Kagome looked at the charged man as he fought to get at her sister. It was only Kikyo, though, that he seemed to want to get at, not even her mother. In his eyes there seemed to be hurt almost, rejection. Kikyo did not even seem surprised by his attack. Suddenly, it hit her. Kikyo had let him out. She had gotten him to trust her, and now this!  
  
A scream of pain jolted her from her thoughts. A man was now behind the bare-chested escapee. He held a cat o' the nine tails and was preparing to flail it again. It fell and then rose. Rin was buried in Sesshoumaru's steady shoulder, possibly crying. Blood was already flowing at two lashes. (1)  
  
It rose and fell. A hand was on her shoulder, steadying her. She had not even noticed she had been swaying. Turning, she looked into Shippou's bright eyes filled with sympathy.  
  
Four. Five. A hand was rubbing her back. It was larger than Shippou's, and she turned to see the Captain Hojo absently rubbing her back, his eyes glaring at Inuyasha coldly.  
  
Six. Seven. Inuyasha was shaking and gasping for air now. Why could not Kikyo just admit she had let him out? Blood was pooling at his feet and staining his meager clothing. Because Kikyo did not want to get in trouble.  
  
Eight. She could not take it any longer. She tore herself from the comforting hands and ran toward him. The whipper paused in his beating and jumped back as she threw her arms around Inuyasha's neck. "Stop!" she screamed. "Stop! It must be my fault he got out. I must have forgotten to lock the door!" It was a flat out lie, and she knew her mother would know it. She dug her fingernails into her palms and kept her arms tight.  
  
Inuyasha's heavy breathing was just at her ear and she felt a shudder run down her spine. She was not comfortable with his face so close to hers, or was she?  
  
"Fine," Kaede said suddenly. "No more. Take him to his cell. Kagome, I want to talk to you."  
  
Slowly, almost reluctantly, she pulled away and followed her mother, shooting her older sister a glare. Unbeknownst to her, Inuyasha saw it. His mind was dulled from blood loss, but he could understand what had passed.  
  
Kagome had gotten herself in trouble for him. She had been careful to lock the door; he knew that. As he felt hands grab his shoulders to take him to his cell, he fought to debate one question: why?  
  
Why would she lie to her mother? Why would she get herself in trouble purposely? Why would she do it for him? He had been so rude and invaded her space.  
  
Why would Kikyo let him out and not even attempt to help him? Why had she condemned him herself? Why would she even use him like that?  
  
Suddenly, he found himself on all fours as the soldiers that had helped him down to his cell closed the cell door roughly. As they walked away, muttering about some military matters, he could feel the torch light leaving.  
  
His arms were shaking from his loss of blood; a tickle announced another river of blood on his arm. Visions danced in front of his eyes as blackness threatened to take over. 'No!' he thought. 'I have to find out why!'  
  
It was a losing battle and finally, he collapsed on the stone ground back up.  
  
"Why," he murmured. "Kagome, why?"  
  
_________________________  
  
Kaede was slow and deliberate in her steps. For the first time in her life, Kaede was confused. Why would her daughter lie for a man as dangerous as this prisoner? Kagome rarely lied, and usually, it was for little things, but this! This was anything but little!  
  
Kaede glanced back at her daughter and felt a tug of guilt. Kagome looked like a murderer going to the execution. Kaede silently rebuked her demeanor before and slowed to walk beside her daughter. Kagome did not look up and only continued wringing her hands. Kaede smiled at her daughter. Kagome was beautiful, though she might not know it. Oh, what a beautiful woman Kagome would make.  
  
"Kagome, dear, relax. Today is not your last. I was going to ask you a few questions in my office, but I can see that you are shaken up by the whipping, and tonight is so lovely, let's just walk outside," she suggested. The moon was out from behind a cloud and bathed the world in a silver light, so Kaede waved away the torchbearers. Kagome only nodded to her mother and continued in fidgeting with her hands. Of all of the nervous motions, Kaede hated that one the most. She cleared her throat pointedly and Kagome stopped instantly. "Kagome, why?"  
  
Kagome looked up with a bewildered face, but Kaede could see her slight amount of fear. "Why what, Mother?"  
  
Kaede shook her head at her. "Why did you lie?"  
  
Kagome dropped the innocent act immediately. "It was the best way to make you stop and keep Kikyo from getting angry at me," Kagome muttered, looking away.  
  
"Kikyo?" Kaede repeated, pondering. "How does she fit into this?" Kaede could guess, but it was better to hear her daughter out.  
  
"I am almost certain that Kikyo let him out, and if she was not going to own up and would let him get beaten, then I'd lie to stop it," Kagome answered, her voice surprisingly passionate. "Mother, Inuyasha is still getting over earlier wounds, and now any more blood loss will kill him! I had to stop it before he died." Kaede smiled slightly. She admired her child for compassion, yet she hoped there was nothing deeper. The prisoner was, after all, still affiliated with other clans, and she never trusted those clans.  
  
"I see. Kagome, it's late my dear. Go back to bed," Kaede said comfortingly. Kagome nodded and slowly walked down the path. As she was, Kaede saw a shadowy figure appear and run over to walk beside her. Under her breath, Kaede added, "take care of her, Shippou."  
  
_________________________  
  
(1) Cat o' the nine tails: very ugly whip (Shudder). It is a flail (multiple whip ends) and is covered in bone, glass, sand. It is very scary, and I know Inuyasha will sulk for weeks because of this.  
  
Inuyasha: DARN RIGHT I WILL!!!!!  
  
Me: (Groan.) So, Inuyasha is mad at me. Be happy, buddy. You'll like a part that's coming up.  
  
Inuyasha: What do you mean?  
  
Me: This is a romance, right?  
  
Inuyasha: So?  
  
Me: Think for a moment, will you?  
  
Inuyasha: (thinks hard) Do you mean.?  
  
Me: Yes.  
  
Inuyasha: (BIG HUGE GRIN) YAY!!  
  
Note to anyone who is interested in my idea in the last chapter: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM IS UP!!!!  
  
I have nothing else to say, except for one thing:  
  
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!  
  
THANKS!  
  
~ Kay Kylo 


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